Acts 16:10

Acts 16:10. Immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia. In this verse the ‘writer of the “Acts”' adopts the style of an eye-witness, and the apostolic memoirs for a time are written in the first person. ‘We endeavoured;' from this it appears that Luke, the presumed author of these records, joined the missionary band first at Troas. Connecting the severe and dangerous illness of the apostle during the Galatian visit (Acts 16:6 and Galatians 4:13-15) , from which he had so recently recovered, the supposition that the ‘beloved physician' associated himself with his great master at this juncture and watched over his health is not without foundation. Eusebius and Jerome, gathering their materials from very ancient traditions, both relate that Luke was a native of Antioch, in which city it is very probable he originally met Paul. At Philippi, however, Paul and Luke parted company, the latter apparently remaining behind. In the course of the apostle's Third Missionary Journey, the writer of these ‘Acts,' Luke, again apparently at Philippi (Acts 20:6) joined the missionary company; and from that period until the arrival of the prisoner Paul at Rome and the very close of the ‘Acts,' he was evidently in close attendance upon him. In the last of the apostle's Epistles (the Second to Timothy), the old man Paul, writing in the full expectation of that violent death which we have good reason to conclude followed very soon after the concluding words of that Epistle were penned, makes mention of this Luke, who with noble constancy and tried friendship stayed with him in that hour of extreme danger when others had left him or forsaken him (comp. 2 Timothy 4:11: ‘Only Luke is with me').

Macedonia. This country was now a Roman province. The Roman governor of Macedonia resided at Thessalonica, which was the general capital. There were, however, several important cities in this great province, such as Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, and Berea, all visited by Paul.

Assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the Gospel unto them. After the direct intimation given by the appearance of the ‘man of Macedonia' (Acts 16:9), Paul seems to have had no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that his life-work lay for a time, at least, in Europe.